Raiders get 26th pick for Jolley

Nancy Gay, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, April 21, 2005

Less than 24 hours after shipping cornerback Phillip Buchanon to Houston for draft picks, the Raiders moved aggressively back into the first round of Saturday's NFL Draft, agreeing to a deal with the Jets on Wednesday that will send fourth-year tight end Doug Jolley to New York, along with three other 2005 picks, for the No. 26 overall pick and a seventh-round selection.

Once Jolley passes a physical and the trade becomes final, the Raiders will have a first-round pick, a second-round pick (No. 38 overall), two third- round selections (Nos. 69 and 78), a fourth-rounder (No. 105), two sixth-round picks (Nos. 212 and 214) and the Jets' seventh-rounder (No. 230 overall, originally acquired from Minnesota).

In return, two NFL sources said the Jets will receive the second-round pick the Raiders acquired on Tuesday from the Texans in the Buchanon deal (No. 47 overall), the 182nd and 185th picks overall (both in the sixth round) as well as Jolley, 26, a second-round pick out of Brigham Young in the 2002 draft.

The deal satisfies the Raiders' desire to jump back into the first round, after surrendering the No. 7 overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings as part of the Randy Moss deal. It also gives them value for a player who had fallen off the map in Norv Turner's deep-ball offense.

Though Jolley impressed coaches as a rookie with his pass-catching skills, playing in all 16 games with four starts and finishing with 32 receptions for 409 yards and two touchdowns in 2002, his career seemed to peak that season.

Jolley had nine starts in 15 games in 2003, catching 31 passes for 250 yards. But his blocking skills were lacking, and coaches became increasingly frustrated with Jolley's inability to master the team's complex blocking schemes.

As the tight end became less of a focus under Turner, Jolley's production slowed even more. He started 13 games in 2004, catching 27 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns, but was quickly eclipsed in the pecking order by massive 6-foot-7 rookie Courtney Anderson, who proved to be a bigger, flashier target for quarterback Kerry Collins.

The Jolley trade capped a whirlwind two-day period of activity in Alameda, where the Raiders have been scrambling to bolster their draft position in the hopes of improving their roster defensively.

With the 26th pick overall, the team should be able to make a run at a badly needed safety, such as Oklahoma's Brodney Pool, who also has cornerback skills. The Raiders also might add depth along their defensive line with players such as Florida State defensive tackle Travis Johnson, USC defensive end/tackle Shaun Cody or Iowa defensive end Matt Roth, all of whom could be on the board that late in the opening round.

Meanwhile, the Texans were raving about their acquisition of Buchanon, whom the team hopes will challenge veteran Aaron Glenn and second-year cornerback Dunta Robinson for a starting job.

"He's a great young player and I think he'll fit really well in our system here," Texans general manager Charley Casserly said. "We're excited about the deal."

As for Buchanon's self-aggrandizing personality -- he has spoken recently about legally changing his name to "Showtime" and once arrived at Raiders' training camp in a stretch limousine wearing a Playboy pajama suit --

Casserly said Houston has the kind of disciplined coaching staff that can handle such an over-the-top character.

"He'll fit in well here. He's already close with (Texans wide receiver) Andre Johnson," Casserly said of Buchanon. "I think we'll get the best out of him."